Consumer’s Perception towards out of stock products in E- Commerce

Abstract

This study investigates the preferred responses of consumers when faced with out-of-stock products in their shopping cart, including switching to another brand, waiting for availability, dropping the idea, and purchasing from other means of shopping. The analysis reveals that "switch to the other brand available" is the most preferred response, with a weighted average score of 1452, ranking second. The study also conducts a related samples t-test comparing the mean WAS scores for "drop the idea" (1470) and "switch to the other brand" (1452), finding no statistically significant difference between the two responses. The results suggest that consumers are almost equally likely to abandon the purchase or switch brands when faced with an out-of-stock online. The study highlights the importance of retailers focusing efforts on both scenarios to prevent shopping cart abandonment and brand switching, ultimately improving conversion performance.